Household linens incarnate a complex tradition that spans centuries and
an astounding breadth of cultures. They exist in an infinite variety of
fibers and weaves and can be adorned with embroidery, lace and other
exquisite refinements. Linens have occasionally become so silken, so
finely damasked and so magnificently decorated that they aroused
passions and often represented some of the most prized elements of
interiors, rivaling works of art. The Book of Fine Linen invites us to
enter the elegant world of heirloom household fabrics, their use and
manufacture, their embellishment and care. In her lively thematic
treatment, Francoise de Bonneville presents countless fibers and
materials as both quintessential examples of the weaver's art and
unusually revealing testaments of the history of daily life. Making
extensive use of household inventories, diaries, and colorful details
and anecdotes describing domestic arrangements, the author has examined
centuries of textile history. She discusses the origins and symbolism of
the trousseau, lovingly assembled over the course of many years by
young women and their mothers and ceremoniously handed over to the young
couple on their wedding day. Traditions of caring for linens, which
occupied incredible amounts of women's time and expertise before the
invention of the washing machine, are explored, as are methods of
growing and weaving natural fabrics such as cotton, linen and silk.
Fabulous embroidery techniques and designs from Europe and America are
also superbly illustrated and carefully explained. A fascinating text is
supplemented by a rich array of visual material drawn from archival
photographs, vintage advertisements, old department storecatalogues, and
splendid paintings, as well as original photography commissioned
especially for this volume in extraordinary textile collections, private
homes, and the weaving and embroidery workshops of great contemporary
manufacturers. This sumptuously designed book, with its
